physiology 1 Flashcards
The skin and it’s appendages. Barrier to external environment.
Integumentary System
Constriction of cells to conserve heat or sweating to release heat.
Responsiveness
Cells are assigned a structure and a function. (Those not yet assigned are called stem cells.)
Differentiation
Ability to maintain a relatively stable internal environment despite the ongoing changes in the surroundings. (dynamic equilibrium)
Homeostasis
Detects change in internal environment or surface of body, analyzes changes, then dictates to organs and cells how to modify their metabolic activity in order to find optimal homeostasis.
Nervous system
Detects changes only in internal environment of body or responds to electrical impulses. Regulates homeostasis by modifying secretion of hormones.
Endocrine system
A defence mechanism that prevents the spread of toxic agents and initiates the repair process.
Inflammation
Toward the head or the upper part of a structure
Superior
away from the head or the lower part of a structure
Inferior
closer to or at the front of the body
Anterior
closer to or at the back of the body
Posterior
an imaginary line that divides the body into right and left halves
Midline
closer to the midline
Medial
opposed to the midline
Lateral
closer to the attachment of a lib to the trunk; closer to the point of origin
Proximal
farther from the attachment of a limb to the trunk; farther from the point of origin
Distal